The congregation will host a 6 p.m. banquet on August 9 at Lake Storey Pavilion. Longtime Covenant minister Richard Swanson, a former pastor at the church, will be the guest speaker. On August 10 the church will worship at 10 a.m. with Glenn R. Palmberg, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, as the guest preacher. The worship service will be followed by a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall and a confirmation service and reunion at 1 p.m. in the sanctuary.

Former archivist Stu Hawkinson wrote about the church's beginnings. "On August 1, 1868, a devout group of young people gathered to pray and talk about organizing their own church," he writes. "The next day, Sunday, they met again in the home of Truls and Cherstie Swenson . . . 31 people signed a commitment to charter membership . . . "

Within months the State of Illinois approved the church charter and the number of members increased to 66. The new church was named the Second Lutheran Church of Galesburg, Illinois, and the church's first pastor was Charles A. Anderson, a former chaplain in the Civil War. By December 1869, the church had built and dedicated a building that seated 350 for worship. "The church was heated by two large Cannon stoves," reported Hawkinson. "During winter meetings the janitor interrupted by shaking the grates and stoking up the fires."

The Covenant Church of Galesburg grew in numbers under pastor Eric G. Hjerpe, who took over in 1881. He later became the second president of the Covenant after the denomination was organized in 1885. Another catalyst for growth was the church's Bethany Chapel, which was built in 1907 and bolstered the congregation's Sunday school ministry. That ministry, along with a revival led by evangelist Billy Sunday, helped bring an additional 45 people to the church. By 1916, the church had 264 members.

Many others were important in the evolution of the church. J. Alfred Johnson became pastor of the church in 1931 and helped the congregation transition from worship in Swedish to English. The church bought a bus to pick up those who wished to attend church and Johnson began publishing church bulletins in 1940, financing the venture by selling advertisements to local merchants.

Hawkinson reported that two church chairman, C.J. Lagergren and J.W. Carlson, each served in lay leadership for a quarter of a century. A former pastor, Erick Gustafson, later served the Covenant as director of Covenant Young Peoples. And missionary Rose Erlandson served in Venezuela for 42 years after being sent from the church in 1930.

In the 1950s, Glen Lindell served as the pastor of the church and helped the congregation pursue a new building. The facility was dedicated on December 17, 1961, under pastor Harold Ahlberg, who served the church from 1961-1973. Swanson served from 1973-82 and James Ecklund was pastor for 12 years in the 1980s and early 1990s. Tom Ek is the current pastor of the church, which averages 180 in worship attendance with a membership of more than 300.